


chase the night away

by possumdnp



Series: Phanfic Bingo 2019 [2]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: 2014, Dan's family (mentioned), Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-10-29 12:48:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20796884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/possumdnp/pseuds/possumdnp
Summary: It’s 2014, and Dan decides to take Phil along to his mum’s birthday celebration.





	chase the night away

**Author's Note:**

> Written for bingo prompts 2014 + wish fulfilment + birthday.
> 
> (I feel like I need to add a disclaimer that this is fiction, and I don’t know anything about Dan’s family!)

Ever since he can remember, there’s been a water stain in the corner of the ceiling of his childhood bedroom. It looks a bit like a cat. Dan feels anger burning in his stomach as he stares at it. It’s the same water stain that he stared at too many times over the years. Sometimes with fury, sometimes with tears blurring his vision. Occasionally, he’d stare up, too numb to feel much of anything at all.

Being back here is doing nothing but making him feel like he’s a tiger trapped in a too-small cage. It’s impossible to relax with the people and places of his hometown staring him down from outside of his cage’s bars. He’s got nothing to do but pace anxiously and wait until it’s time to go back to London. His actual home.

He reminds himself that he’s doing this because it’s his mum’s birthday, and he loves her. He does. It felt nice to see her face light up when she opened the door to him. He felt like he was doing the right thing for once. It’s just complicated.

His phone illuminates with a text from Phil, and he glances over to read it.

_I miss you :( _

_how’s the sofa,_ Dan texts back.

_Lonely :( :( _

He stares at the sad faces in Phil’s text. What was the bloody _point_ of bringing Phil along, Dan thinks, if he just has to sleep on the sofa? If they have to stand two feet apart from each other and pretend the whole time that they’re just friends? He feels horrible and guilty for dragging Phil along into all of this. When he’s back here in his family home, it’s like he has to choose between being a good son and a good boyfriend, and it always feels like he’s failing on both accounts.

Still, having Phil here is a relief, because he’s just a few metres away instead of all the way in London. He hates and loves that Phil has become a sort of security blanket for him. Hates it, because he’s twenty-two fucking years old, and he should be able to do things like go to his own mum’s birthday without needing someone by his side. But he also loves it when Phil comes along everywhere with him. Everything’s just better and more fun when he’s around.

He glances down at his phone. Phil has sent another text.

_You’re going to have to give me a massage when we get home! This sofa has no support! _

_when we get home i’ll get out the fancy massage oil_

(They’re not nearly rich enough to own massage oil, fancy or not. But it’s fun to pretend sometimes that one day, they’ll be rich off all of their crazy ideas.)

_Ooooo sounds erotic ;) _

_everything i do is erotic phil _

It feels nostalgic, flirting with Phil over text while he’s lying in his childhood bed. How many hours has he spent doing this very same thing? Except now, he’s four years older. He’s lived in the same flat as Phil for a couple of years, sleeping in the same bed as him, sharing the same space, and being able to follow through when they start to flirt.

Maybe he’s been spoiled by living with Phil, but in the best way possible.

_i miss you,_ he types after a few minutes. _i wish you were here._ At this point, he doesn’t even care if it comes across as desperate. He feels angry at the distance between the two of them right now, even though it’s just a few rooms’ worth of distance, and not thousands of kilometres.

Phil doesn’t respond, and it feels like shit. Dan knows he’s probably just fallen asleep. It’s just Dan whose fucked up brain keeps him awake for half the night.

And then his bedroom door gently pushes open. Dan’s heart races. For a second, he’s legitimately afraid that there’s a ghost in his room. But he relaxes when he sees that it’s Phil, untidy hair and glasses and all.

“Hi,” Phil whispers, closing the door behind him.

“What’re you doing?” mumbles Dan.

“You missed me,” Phil says simply, taking hold of the corner of Dan’s duvet. “Now budge over, I’m getting in.”

Phil is warm against him. They have to lie practically on top of each other to be able to fit in this single bed together, but that’s more than all right with Dan. There’s nothing more comforting than having Phil’s body pressed up against his side, his head on Dan’s chest, one of his arms holding Dan tight.

“Are you okay?” Phil whispers. “I mean, really?”

“I’m sorry I made you come here with me,” Dan says, instead of answering him.

“What? I’m not. The birthday cake was so good.”

Dan snorts at that. “You and your sweet tooth.”

“And you didn’t _make_ me. If anyone did, it was your nana.” (She had actually, when she called to invite Dan to his mum’s fiftieth birthday bash. _Your friend Phil is welcome too, if he wants!_ she had said. _I’m going to be cooking up a storm, so we’re going to have far too much food!)_

Dan sighs. “Well then, I’m sorry my granddad asked if you had a girlfriend.”

“Dan. I told you before, it’s fine.”

“It’s not, but you’re sweet. I dunno. I just really hate being here. It feels weird to have you be somewhere I hate. Because I really don’t hate you.”

Phil squeezes him tight and nuzzles his face into Dan’s chest, his breath warm against Dan’s skin. He feels a bit calmer now that Phil is here, like life is just a little easier. He lets his gaze return to the ceiling, back to the cat-shaped water stain in the corner. His focus shifts to the right slightly.

There’s a dark smudge there, just visible in the light coming from the streetlamp outside. Looking at it makes his stomach turn unpleasantly. “See that mark up there?” he asks.

Phil makes a sleepy noise and turns his body slightly so he can look up. “That scuff mark?”

“Yeah. It got there when I was seven. I was kicking a football inside, and it flew too high and hit the ceiling. I cried for ages, ‘cause I was worried my dad would yell at me.”

“Did he?” Phil asks hesitantly.

“He actually didn’t care much about it. He was just annoyed at me for being too noisy and waking up my baby brother.”

They’re quiet for a long while. “It’s weird that he’s not living here anymore,” Dan says. “That he and my mum are actually going to get divorced.”

“Did you miss him today? Like, was it weird that he wasn’t here for the party?”

“Not at all, really.” He pauses. “My mum seems a lot happier, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, she does.”

“I’m happy for her.” He stares up at the mark on the ceiling. Having Phil lying here next to him has soothed the anger in his stomach. He’s just a bit sad now, he thinks. “Phil? Does it make me a bad son that I don’t want to go see him while we’re here? I know I probably should. But I just. I really don’t want to.”

“You’re not a bad son, Dan. You don’t have to see him if you don’t want to.”

“I know. Just sounded like a really shitty thing for me to say.” Maybe he will see him one day. A few months from now, for his dad’s birthday, maybe. Just not today.

“I’m gonna fall asleep soon, I reckon,” Phil mumbles, and his voice is soft and deep. Dan has no doubt that he would be asleep in a few minutes if they let it happen. It’s tempting. He’s very comfortable and warm, even with Phil half-crushing him with how close they have to lie together.

But then he thinks of his mum heading downstairs early and finding Phil’s sofa bed unslept in. The thought is utterly terrifying, and it’s enough for him to gently nudge at Phil’s shoulder.

“You should head back to the sofa,” Dan says.

“Okay.” Phil scoots up and presses a gentle kiss to Dan’s lips. “But I don’t want to leave you to be sad by yourself.”

Dan shrugs. “I think _sad_ is just who I am, maybe.”

“Hey.” Phil’s looking right into his eyes, and his voice is soft and so gentle that Dan thinks he might cry. “How about we do something fun when we get home tomorrow? Like go to the cinema or go get milkshakes or something? You can choose.”

“Okay. I’d like that.”

“I know you’re gonna overthink things when I leave. So try and overthink what shake flavour you should get instead of crappy family stuff.”

Dan laughs and leans in for one last kiss.

Phil pulls back after too short of a time. “I love you a lot, Dan. And don’t you forget it.”

“I love you too.”

He watches Phil slip quietly out from under the duvet and out of his room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Reblog on tumblr [here!](https://possumdnp.tumblr.com/post/187989169295/chase-the-night-away)


End file.
